Sunday, September 13, 2009

Good Morning "Fitz!" - Meeting NU's Pat Fitzgerald The Morning After Their 27-24 Squeaker-Win Against Eastern Mich University

Northwestern University's head football coach, Pat Fitzgerald, lives just around the block from where we live - actually at the end of our alley only a few houses away. He moved into our neighborhood back in the spring of 2006 on the eve of former NU Head Coach Randy Walker's passing on 20060629. Pat and his wife have three sons, but since securing a 7-year contract extension with Northwestern University in June they've had their home up for sale.

As strange as this may sound, I had never addressed or spoken to Pat until this morning. I was in route to the CVS store to get some bread and when I came to the end of our alley there was "Coach Fitz" standing in front of his home by their big black GMC SUV. I rolled down my window and said - in reference to their exciting win with a field goal with only 11 seconds left to play in the game against Eastern Michigan University at Ryan Field yesterday - something like "boy that was real squeaker yesterday". He said "hi" and replied something like "well we pulled it out and that's all that matters in the end." I wanted to thank him for the hospitality of his team and members of the athletic department during "Northshore Day" at Ryan Field last weekend - see this and this link.

When I first came to Evanston in 1976 I was a walk-on 5th string quarterback for the Northwestern Wildcats. Head football coach John Pont was also the Atheletic Director at the time. After a few weeks John's offensive coordinator switched me to a wide receiver and I got banged up and around pretty good - even breaking my hand, having to wear a cast for a while. As it turned out my time in the "Big Ten" as a wildcat was short-lived. I had a personal meeting with "Coach Pont" one day that fall and told him in all honesty that I wasn't having fun anymore playing football. He respected my decision and said that there were many players who, for the good of the team, should examine deep in their heart-soul whether they are cut out to play in the Big Ten, too.

When it came to Northwestern Football, my only claim to fame that wonderful life-changing "Fall of 76" was to have the honor of "suiting up" for the Notre Dame game wearing my purple # 13 NU jersey while noticing on the other sidelines that there was another quarterback by the name of Joe Montana - a red-shirt junior at the time - who, before the start of the 1976 season, separated his shoulder and was unable to compete that year. For years I could have swore that Joe wore #13 that day, but I just confirmed that his career jersey # while was Notre Dame was #3.

When I walked on NU's team in the mid-1970's college football was just beginning to come of age. Even a major talent like Joe Montana had a hard time earning his way into the starting QB position at Notre Dame - eg. he was the 7th string quarterback on Notre Dame's depth chart during the fall of 1974 his freshman year. One year later during Joe's second year the dream of Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger came true when he suited up for the last game of Notre Dame's season against Georgia Tech and played on the kick-off team and on defense during Georgia Tech's last possession on offense. From this experience the legend of "Rudy" grew until it eventually became one of the top-rated sports movie of all time - see this link.

His performance with that team earned him a meeting in 1976 with head coach Dick Vermeil of the Philadelphia Eagles after general managerJim Murray got him an invitation to a private work-out held by Coach Vermeil.

Papale, at 6-feet 2-inches (1.88 m) and 195 pounds (88.5 kg), eventually made the team, thereby becoming, at age 30, the oldest rookie in the history of the NFL to play without the benefit of college football experience (other than kickers).

Papale's story was adapted into the great movie "Invincible" which was released in 2006:

Joe Montana finally earned the full-time starter role as QB during his junior year at Notre Dame when they went on to finish with a 11-1-0 record which was good for the NCAA the National Championship. All this mid-1970's gridiron energy manifested beginning with the years 1975 and 1976 which set the stage for Notre Dame's NCAA National Championship with Joe Montana in 1977.

You have to ask yourself "why 1975 and 1976?" Well one of the core-keys to this answer resides in the fact that Notre Dame's first year of college football began in 1887 which makes the beginning of the 89th "Prime of Leo (356)" year which was also the year of Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger the walk-on underdog in 1975. The 89th anniversary of Notre Dame's football program was the year I walked on for the NU Wildcats in 1976 and the first year of Vince Papale's time with the Philadelphia Eagles located in another very Catholic community.

December 2, 1974 was 89 "Prime of Leo (356)" plus ONE (1) day from the Divine Birthdate of our Lord. Lane Kiffin's hiring on 20081201 was 89 "Prime of Leo (356)" days from August 11th.

Today, the day I spoke with "Coach Fitz" for the first time was EXACTLY 220 days from my 51st birthday on 20090205. 220 mirrors 2/20 which is ALWAYS the 51st day of each New Year. 51 was Pat Fitzgerald's number during his years with Northwestern (1993-1997). 51 was also Dick Butkus's number with the Chicago Bears.

I have shared this many times on this blog, but 51 is also the Route number for a highway which runs straight (north-south) through the heart of Illinois, mirroring-shadowing the 89th longitude west of Greenwich England as follows:

Pat Fitzgerald became Northwestern's football coach on 20060707 after the passing/ascension of NU coach Randy Walker on 20090629. 733 prime days later my NU football coach, John Pont, passed/ascended. 31 "The Lord God" days from Coach Pont's passing brings us to 20080801 which was/is Leo (356) days from 20070811, the Divine Birthdate of our Lord God Jesus Christ.

But it get's better.....

733 prime + 31 "The Lord God" prime = God (764)

So when you add God (764) days to the day that coach Randy Walker passed/ascended, 20060629, you arrive at 20080801 which was/is Leo (356) days from 20070811, the Divine Brithdate. That this happened from/in the year 2007 is even more special for 2007 factors into 223 prime X 9 and the 223rd prime day in non-leap years is always August 11th, the Divine Birthdate of our Lord, etc.

All of which brings us to the corner booth at Gilson's restaurant in Wilmette, Illinois - located right next door to the Wilmette Theatre where my wife, Maribeth, and I had lunch to celebrate my 51st birthday (20090205) before we went to see the movie Slumdog Millionaire - and where this picture hung on the wall behind my head as follows:

The stars of Slumdog Millionaire, Dev Patel (born 23 April 1990), and Freida Pinto (born October 18, 1984) are separated by 2013 days on the calendar. 2013 days from 20090205, my 51st birthday, will be August 11, 2014, the Divine Birthdate of our Lord. The feelgood picture that everyone will remember about this movie is this one - see below.

Northwestern beat Eastern Michigan University 27-24 on a 49 field goal with 11 seconds left on the clock - click here and here for the full story.

Randy Walker's passing/ascension was an act of Divine Providence in more ways that we can ever imagine. For example, I was called earlier to multiply 51 "Pat Fitgerald's NU #" by 89 "Prime of Leo (356)" which comes to the result of 4539. When you add 4539 days to 20060629, the date of Randy's passing/ascension, you will arrive at 20181202, which will be "Coach Fitz's" 44th birthday. This is the same as observing that 4539 days prior to Pat Fitzgerald's birth, 19741202, was 19620629 which was 44 years prior to Coach Walker's passing in 2006.

The end of the 14430 cycle of 51 days since the birth of our Lord fell on 20090707, the 3rd anniversary of the announcement of Pat Fitzgerald becoming the 29th head football coach of Northwestern University.

This is just a beginning.

There truly is no end to the incredible correspondences that connect everything with everyone in everyway for all time!